The lawsuit was filed by Philip Depoian, a Democratic strategist and political aide from Los Angeles. In May 2015, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma — a rare but aggressive lung cancer linked to asbestos.
Depoian blamed his cancer on asbestos in talcum powder. He said he was exposed at a barber shop where his father worked. He also used talc products like Old Spice, Clubman, Kings Men, and Mennen Shave Talc.
The lawsuit was filed against talc supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels. He accused the company of negligence for marketing its talc as asbestos-free without adequately testing it for asbestos.
Talc and asbestos are both silicate minerals that are often found together in the same mineral deposits in the ground. Before the 1970s, cosmetic products containing talc were often contaminated with asbestos.
On October 19, after a six-week trial, the jury awarded him $18.07 million in compensatory damages. Whittaker, Clark & Daniels was found 30% responsible for his injuries.
On October 26, before the jury could decide on punitive damages, he agreed to a confidential settlement with Whittaker, Clark & Daniels.
It is the largest jury award for mesothelioma linked to a cosmetic product containing talcum powder — but not the first. In May 2015, another jury in Los Angeles awarded $13 million to a 73 year-old woman who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after using Colgate-Palmolive’s Cashmere Bouquet for more than 40 years.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court — In Re: Philip Depoian et al. vs. American International Industries, et al. — Case No. BC607192.
Source: Insurance Journal